Chapter 1
The digression of an innocent
The incident happened on a crisp October day on a peninsular in southernmost Brooklyn, New York. It had just gone three O'clock, and the Coney Island dolphin show was well underway. That was until they released Flippy, a special favourite of the trainers, and an unfailing crowd pleaser. It was a dolphin show that everyone found hard to forget, but for all the wrong reasons.
The show had kicked off to its usual start, beginning with simple ball tricks that followed on to jumping through hoops that had been set alight to form a bright-orange ring of fire. Of course, the dolphins were not harmed by leaping through the hoops, as the thin coat of water on their skin protected them from any unfortunate burns. Flippy just happened to jump through one too many such hoops.
All around him were the sounds of cheering and laughter, cheering for him. Flippy was the cute one; the smart one; the funny one. Cameras were spinning violently and giant, potent floodlights lit the stage like he was a star. He dived, rising up out of the water, conquering the ring of fire, showing off to the audience that encircled him as best he could. And for his signature move, land just a few feet from the crowd and give them an almighty splash! He gave them his sweetest, most adorable dolphin face.
A girl screamed – the same girl that had previously been leaning over the side, cooing at the pretty little dolphins as they performed tricks in the water below. Flippy froze as the infant thrashed her arms frantically in mid air; her Halloween lollypop gorged itself into Flippy's beautiful, blue eye. The show came to a dramatic, untimely close...
A decade later...
Silence fell over the empty zoo grounds as the last of the visitors made their way out through the rusty, iron gates. Smiles filled all but one face in the twilight of the greatest holiday in October; the face of Alice the zoo keeper; Alice who was clearing up the remains of broken pumpkins, sweets and the rogue 'Alex the lion' toy.
Alice was dismayed, "Err... what's this doing here? I thought we got rid of thisthing years ago!" The toy was swept into a huge, plastic bin liner, which was discarded onto one of the rails that lined the perimeter of the otter habitat, "Why does Halloween have to come every year? In fact, why do they even have it at all? All it gives me is work, work, work... work, work, work... work, work, work..."
A broader picture of the zoo presented a somewhat brighter idea on the topic of Halloween.
"Fantastical Maurice; this really suits my regal profile!" King Julien turned eagerly to a disgusted Maurice who was resting uncomfortably inside a tubby muffin costume, a plump glazed cherry nestling snugly on his head. He had not chosen the costume himself.
The King adjusted his black vampire's cape, trimmed with a blood-red silken lining. He returned to his mirror, "Now this is handsomeness!" He complemented, revealing a pair of glinting plastic fangs, "No more Fred now... get a load of this, Marlene..." Julien stuck his booty in Maurice's face who gave an irritated, "Uh, hmmm..." The atmosphere grew uptight; Julien's eyes flickered with unspoken embarrassment that his private thoughts had been violated again.
The silence was broken by Mort, who had fashioned himself a white sheet with peep holes, and was running frenziedly round the lemur pen, "Oooh, I'm a ghosty! Boo!" The little lemur halted in front of King Julien and collapsed predictably onto the kingly feet. Julien outstretched his leg for Maurice to unwind Mort from his foot like a cork screw from a bottle. The lemur would never learn...
Back at the zoo's busiest crossroads, Alice was no nearer to clearing up than she had been that minute earlier. Her waste-grabber was working flat out and picking up litter at the pace she was muttering to herself, "Work, work, work, work, work, work..." But Alice was oblivious to what was about to happen next...
In the distance, a blackened sewer lid began to bulge. It pushed upwards to expose the tiniest, most unnoticeable of cracks, yet it was large enough to reveal what was hiding beneath; a creature so evil, that the witches and ghouls that haunted this very day ran and hid at its pure mention. A thin, sliver of light cast a wicked shadow on to the monster's scarred face, "Brace yourselves p-pen-gu-ins, I'm coming... AHH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"